Janja Garnbret won the women's Lead final at World Climbing Series Santiago. She topped the final route for her 34th Lead gold from 54 starts. It was her 52nd gold across disciplines in World Cup and World Climbing Series competition.
The only woman to top a route all weekend
The win came at the Parque Bicentenario de Cerrillos, where the season closed on 25 October 2026. Garnbret was dominant through qualification, the semi-final and the final. She was the only female climber to top a route in any round, from qualification through to the final.
Laura Rogora of Italy took second with 48+, her first podium since Koper 2025. Rosa Rekar scored 46+ for third, her first circuit podium after ten final appearances. Teammate Lucka Rakovec also scored 46+ but placed fourth on countback, her best Series result this season.
The final-round top delighted the Chilean public. It was the first World Climbing Series event staged in Chile, and only the second World Cup held in South America after Curitiba 2025. It was also Garnbret's first competition on the continent.
Second in the ranking, first in the record books
The result lifted Garnbret to second in the 2026 women's Lead Series ranking with 3,805 points. Annie Sanders of the United States took the overall title with 4,415 points, though she did not compete in Santiago. Seo Chaehyun of South Korea finished third on 3,565.
The gold sits in a career that already holds two Olympic titles and ten world titles. Earlier this year she made the first female ascent of Bibliographie at Céüse. Her win tally across the circuit now stands alone at the top of the all-time list.
"It's my first time in South America and the vibes are phenomenal," Garnbret said after the final. She said climbing before such a crowd felt easy. Now she looks forward to a break — rock, beach and rest — before next season.
